Quick Morel Question...
Yesterday I bought a few morel mushrooms (fresh and outrageously expensive), needless to say, I don't want to ruin them.
I think I'm going to use them in scrambled eggs, maybe making a bit of cream sauce with them.
Do I wash them? Some of them look a little dry and I read a previous post about worms (oh ack!) in morels ...
Is it alright to slice them? I only bought about 7 mushrooms and slicing them will make it seem like more.
TIA!
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danna
May 7, 2008 05:23 AM
Speaking of Morels...I have heard they are inexpensive in the spring in the northern midwest...anyone know if this is true? I have house guests about to arrive from Wisconsin. They have asked if they can bring anything. I don't want to saddle them with an expensive request, but if Morels are something they could pick up on the cheap at the farmer's market...i'd make them some risotto. What do you think?
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re: danna
rockandroller1
May 7, 2008 05:29 AM
They are $70 a pound where I live (Ohio) when I've seen them in stores. However, the dozen or so I picked last week were free :)
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re: danna
I don't know about their seasonality in Wisconsin (I'm in N. Cal.) but anywhere they grow, price will vary wildly from season to season depending on availability. In years where there was a big wildfire the previous summer in a pine forest in the region, there reliably will be lots of morels. No fire the summer before=not so many morels.
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re: Pistou
sarah galvin
May 7, 2008 10:15 PM
They are abundant after a big fire. I bought some in British Columbia a couple of years ago after their big fires. I should have bought more. That is probably the only time they are cheaper.
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re: danna
Cookiefiend
May 7, 2008 11:25 AM
They were $49.99 a pound here, but in the grocery store not the farmers market...
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re: danna
I live in Wisconsin. Local morels should be popping up at the farmers markets around now, but I imagine your house guests would have to make it to a big-ish farmers market to find them (like the ginormous Dane County market). I a haven't bought morels in a couple years, but I think they'll run you around $30/lb.
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re: rebeccabeagle
Yes, morels should be quite plentiful in WI now. We just found 130 in Up North MI. You don't actually "pick" them. First you see one then you carefully move any leaves or moss away, and then either cut the stem with a knife or pinch off with a fingernail, leaving the bottom to do something next year. And don't move! Where you see one you may see another.
I always slice the morel in half lengthwise to check for critters and gently use a mushroom brush. Then into a pan with butter for a few minutes, deglaze with white wine and serve over toast points. True flavor!
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Cookiefiend
May 6, 2008 05:18 PM
Thank you Pistou and Monavano!
I soaked them in salted water for about 5 minutes - thank goodness I did - I found a millipede in the water and a lot of other stuff floating around. I took them out, re-soaked them in plain water for a minute, swished them, drained them and squeezed the extra water out.
Sliced them, made a quick cream sauce with a bit of shallot, soft scrambled the eggs and topped them with the sauce. I popped open a bottle of Duval Leroy NV Champagne and had a marvelous dinner.
My best-beloved-four-footed-girl, Miss Missy, thanks you too. She cleaned the plate!
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re: Cookiefiend
sarah galvin
May 6, 2008 06:02 PM
And I'm sitting here with a Caesar salad with chopped hard boiled eggs and avocado. You are making me jealous ;)
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monavano
May 6, 2008 08:56 AM
Morels should be soaked in salted water, then rinsed before eating. All those pores can harbor critters and the salinity kills them.
7 is plenty-they really can be stretched a long way. You can make a morel cream sauce and use it on your eggs, and save some for another dish too!
I recently made a chicken dish with a morel cream sauce. See here:
http://houndstoothgourmet.com/braised...›2 Replies-
re: monavano
Cookiefiend
May 6, 2008 09:19 AM
That looks amazing!
Should I soak them just briefly in the salted water? Like a couple of minutes? I think I'll swish them about too... critters in my scrambled egss does not sound like a good thing!
I'm getting anxious for dinner even though I just finished lunch! Yum!
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Yes, you can definitely slice them (they make really beautiful little rings when you slice them across) and yes, you should rinse them. They should not have worms--if they do it is a sign that they were picked too late. But they will have some dirt in all those crevices that needs to be removed.
Using them in scrambled eggs with a little cream would be a wonderful thing to do with them, as the eggs and cream will only highlight the flavor of the morels. Saute the mushrooms with a little minced shallot in some butter, remove from the pan, cook your eggs, then add the morels and shallots back in just before the eggs have set.
Mmm, now I want morels and scrambled eggs!
